1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a head-up display apparatus and method for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a head-up display apparatus and method for a vehicle, which divide a driver's field of view into a field of view and an adjacent field of view, analyze information collected within the two fields of view, and display the analyzed information to a driver in descending order of priorities.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, side-view mirrors and a rear-view mirror are chiefly used to check roads and view other vehicles outside a vehicle. In conventional methods using the mirrors, it is difficult to intuitively determine influences on a driver's forward gaze and the position, distance, speed and direction of a vehicle being driven in relation to those of another vehicle. Furthermore, it is sometimes difficult for a driver to see a vehicle in his/her “blind spot” because of the angle of a mirror.
For this reason, a method using a head-up display apparatus was developed. The head-up display apparatus is an apparatus that is designed to display vehicle information and driving information to a driver via a wind shield placed in front of a driver in order to minimize the movement of the driver's field of view and prevent the driver's forward attention from being distracted while driving.
However, the head-up display apparatus is limited in terms of the level of safety it provides to a driver because it displays only simple driving information (e.g., driving speed, the RPM of an engine, and the amount of fuel) and real-world information (e.g., roads, buildings, and vehicles) within a forward field of view, but does not provide information, such as the distance between a driven vehicle and a vehicle behind the driven vehicle, when lanes are changed. Such distance information is required by an inexperienced driver or an unskilled driver. Furthermore, the head-up display apparatus is problematic in that it deteriorates a driver's recognition ability because it frequently provides incorrect information about environments in a forward direction.
The head-up display apparatus to which 3-D graphics have been applied can improve a driver's recognition ability by displaying driving information in and around a driver's field of view in accordance with real-world information. However, the head-up display apparatus is problematic in that it is difficult to precisely display information suitable for a driver's gaze because the driver's field of view varies depending on the characteristics of the driver and driving circumstances.